Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi [Photo provided by Jiji Press. EPA=Yonhap News File Photo]

Analysis suggests that the approval rating for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet has remained stable at a high level, reminiscent of the Junichiro Koizumi and second Shinzo Abe cabinets.

The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 10th that the Takaichi cabinet has maintained an approval rating in the 60% range for about eight months since its inauguration last October.

The newspaper analyzed this as a state of "high-level stability," where approval ratings remain consistently high after inauguration, similar to the long-serving Koizumi cabinet (April 2001–2006) and the second Abe cabinet (December 2012–September 2014).

In contrast, the cabinets of Yukio Hatoyama (2009–2010) and Yoshihide Suga (2020–2021), which also recorded high initial approval ratings, saw their support plummet within eight months of taking office and failed to show a significant recovery thereafter.

The Asahi Shimbun attributed the Takaichi cabinet's high approval rating to strong support not only from Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) loyalists but also from independent voters and the youth demographic.

According to Asahi Shimbun surveys, the cabinet approval rating among LDP supporters has remained high at 87–93%, while support from independent voters has stayed between 40% and 60%.

When calculating the average cabinet approval rating by age group since the Takaichi cabinet's launch, the 30s age group showed the highest support at 75%, followed by those aged 18–29 at 74%, indicating robust support among the younger population.

However, in the most recent survey conducted on the 20th and 21st of last month, support among those aged 18–29 fell to 69%, and support among those in their 30s dropped to 72%.

The Asahi Shimbun noted that the Takaichi cabinet's approval rating has not been significantly shaken despite various unfavorable factors.

Prime Minister Takaichi has faced several controversies, including allegations of distributing gifts to successful candidates following the House of Representatives election in February, and the production and circulation of videos criticizing rival candidates, such as Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, during the LDP leadership election last year.

Countermeasures against rising prices are cited as the biggest factor that could influence future approval ratings.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that in a survey conducted after the House of Representatives election, 51% of respondents identified high-price countermeasures as the policy area the Takaichi cabinet should prioritize most.